Chapter Ten
I woke up the next morning to the bright light streaming in through the windows. It was my second official day taking care of the ranch myself, and I had already fallen short. My body was a little achy, but I felt very satisfied remembering the events from the night before. As my hand landed on the bed next to me, I realized I was the only one in it. Where had Jonathan gone?
For just a second I panicked thinking that maybe he had taken off on me after I fell asleep. He wouldn't have been the first guy in history to do that to someone. But as I sat up and listened, I could hear the sounds of pans sizzling and feet sliding across the wood floors. He was still there just in the kitchen. He must have been making breakfast for me.
I finger brushed my hair and tiptoed into the kitchen to see what was going on. Jonathan's back was turned to me, but he seemed to notice instantly when I entered the room. I wasn't as sneaky as I thought. "Well, there goes the idea of bringing you breakfast in bed," he said without even turning around. I could hear the smile in his voice. "I hope you enjoy eggs, ham and potatoes. I even made some chili just in case you were that kind of girl."
I slid into one of the seats in front of the bar and placed my chin against my fist. "I am absolutely that kind of girl," I admitted happily. It sounded absolutely delicious. "And don’t worry about the breakfast in bed thing. I needed to get up so I can take care of the ranch anyway. In fact, I should really be out there right now." I squinted up my face at the idea of going out there in the heat instead of being inside where the A/C and one of the hottest guys on the universe were. It just wasn't a logical choice.
"The only thing that’s immediate is milking the cows, and I'm sure they can wait until after breakfast," he told me, placing a plate full of delicious food in front of me. "I promise I will be out of your hair as soon as we eat." He raised his hands in surrender before making his own plate and sitting it next to me before turning off the burners. I made a pouty face at him about his statement. I didn’t really want him out of my hair.
"Don't give me that look; that's not what I meant. I have business to take care of, and so do you. You'll only be distracted by me if I stick around, and you know it. Once your job is done, I can come by any time you'd like. You have my number." He flashed a devilish grin my way, and I blushed. I was feeling a little shier without all the alcohol in my system. It was probably a little late for that, though. He was so right, though. I was never going to go out on the ranch and do anything with him lounging around the house shirtless and cooking for me. As much as the idea of being alone again sucked, I needed to prove to myself that I could handle all that work.
"Okay, I think I can live with that," I replied before sticking my fork into the eggs. I took a bite, expecting just the typical southern breakfast, but I was amazed. "Oh my gosh, it’s another thing you're great at. Did you go to charm school or something?" I asked, pointing to the eggs and chili.
"No, but I did have an aunt who always wanted to have her own cooking show. The chili is her recipe." He started eating at his own meal, and I went back to mine. To say I was impressed would have been an understatement. Even beyond the initial attraction and all the drinking, he still seemed to have a good heart to me. And he was sharing more about his life. The paranoia was not only in check but long gone.
We ate breakfast together like a real couple, occasionally gazing into each other's eyes and smiling. It felt yet again like we had been together a long time, like we were already some kind of power couple. I dared not ruin by asking him if we really were a couple or if we were "going steady" or whatever. I didn't think adults decided like that. It either happened or it didn't, right?
My phone started buzzing, and I knew instantly who it would be. Rachel was dying to hear details, but I really couldn't give them to her with him right next to me. So, I excused myself outside for a moment and walked a few yards away from the house.
"Rachel, he's still here!" I squealed into the phone in a fit of annoyance.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I had no idea. But that's a good thing, right? Like you woke up and still like the way he looks and want him to be there?" I laughed at Rachel. She was married to a rich man and living in Manhattan but still trying to live vicariously through a girl who just gained a ranch because her parents died and who hadn't had a real boyfriend in over a year.
"Yes, I still want him here. He made me breakfast, and he’s probably going home soon. But I bet he's probably wondering why I had to take such an early phone call outside," I said through gritted teeth.
"Nah, guys know girls do this. I'm sure he knows exactly why you're out there. So, how far did it go? Does he look as good under the clothes as he does with them on?" I rolled my eyes. It was too bad she couldn't see my reaction.
"Yes, he looks even better actually," I said, exasperated. "Hey, how about I call you back this evening?" I asked her, wanting to get back in there with him.
"Of course. You go get 'im!" She hung up on that note, and I took the embarrassing walk back into the house. Had she been right about him knowing we were talking about him?
When I got back inside I was greeted with a kiss on the cheek. He had already cleared away our plates. What a gentleman. I noticed that he had also slipped his shirt on. “Are you leaving already?” My voice came out a little whiny, and I kind of wanted to slap myself for it. I sounded needy. But I guess the right guy could bring that out in any kind of girl.
“Yes, I am. But, how about you walk me out and maybe we’ll talk about the next time I can fix you breakfast,” he said with a wink, making me blush yet again. We held hands as we walked out onto the ranch and towards the gate that led to the driveway. His silver car sat there in all its perfection, just waiting for him to return to normal life. I couldn’t help but worry a little what would happen to us once we returned to the everyday routine. I hoped that as strong a connection as we had built we would still be doing pretty well. I could easily see myself getting into the routine of a girl falling in love with that man.
He leaned me up against the driver’s side door and began kissing me passionately, running his hand up my leg. I was still wearing my gown which was much more like a slip. The benefit of living out in the country like that though was that no one could see other than my neighbor who I assumed was still asleep considering she was just an older woman who trained horses. “I’m going to miss you,” I said. I couldn’t help it; it just popped out of my mouth. He smiled and licked my earlobe once.
“I feel the same way. Don’t worry; if you haven’t already called me, I’ll be sure to call you later. It’s going to be a long day thinking about that long hair of yours and those cute little legs.” He looked me up and down once as I moved away so he could get in the car. Then, I waved as he started it and pulled out of the driveway in his typical racing fashion. I bit my lip, thinking about how amazing the night before had been, and a whirlwind of emotions raced through me. But it was time to get to work.